


The Choices you Make

by Lacklusterswirl



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Choose Your Own Ending, Crime Fighting, Gen, Guns, Missions, Political Campaigns, Possible Good or Bad Ending, Reader-Interactive, Undercover Missions, possible death, possible major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-02-10 08:11:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18656464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacklusterswirl/pseuds/Lacklusterswirl
Summary: Canada's heating up, and for once it isn't ALL climate change. Political tensions between classes are getting worse, and hate speech grows strong. This all has allowed the White Masks to prey on the hate groups in the country and rally them up for an attack on the protests in Ottawa. Luckily, an anonymous has come through just a day or two ahead, and allowed for international back-up to be called in. That is Rainbow. And now these ops have to trust you and the choices you, yes you the reader, make for them to get them out of the situation alive. Good luck to you all! (How I'll do it exactly is in the notes)





	1. The intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm super excited to try this, even if it means that my other incomplete stuff will be put on hold. At the end of each chapter, I'll give you a choice, and have you guys comment, or message me on tumblr to vote. Details on what I think the better route should be will be given throughout the chapter. And while I think you would want to keep all ops alive and have the perfect ending, it IS possible to kill someone, and not just my oc's. This is my first reader interactive thing, ever, so any and all feed back would be greatly appreciated :)

“You forget two things.”

Buck trailed behind an excited Rook. Ottawa, Canada. The nation’s capital. So close to home, yet still far enough away.

Startled, Rook froze in place and started patting down himself and looking for his luggage.

“No, I didn’t…” the younger man started, frowning at the serious look Buck had. “I’ve heard so much about Canada! Québec, poutine, les personnes qui habite là! C’est un grand moment pour moi, non? Vous habitez ici, oui?”

Buck couldn’t help but sigh. “Pas ici, mais uh…” Another sigh as Frost walked up to him and patted his back.

“The fuck-up province just got usurped, eh?” Turning to Rook, she added, “Remember that we’re here for riot control. You should ask yourself why that is of all things.”

Close behind, Clash emerged with Maverick, both looking a little less dangerous with how they were bundled to shield themselves from the cold.

“It’s fucking May, why is it still cold?”

Maverick shuddered and turned to his CTU partner. “It’s Canada, where the most ridiculous stereotypes seem to come true.” He accidentally bumped into a young girl and turned to apologize.

“Oh, sorry,” she said before Maverick even opened his mouth. He apologized back, and then gave Clash a pointed look.

“If this was Britain, you’d be lucky that she didn’t cuss you out.”

Buck sighed again. Only Frost really understood.

“This country where I grew up and the one we’re in now are two different places.” He said to Rook.

The confused look was all he needed to know that he was just as clueless as most of his own family. “You’ll see, but we’re not as different from all the other western countries right now.”

“Alright, look who’s here,” Ciel, their JTF 2 contact was waiting with military transport. Rook stuck his hand out to shake before Buck could stop him. All Ciel did was look down at the outstretched arm, look at his face, and turn to Buck. “Did he forget who I am?”

“To be fair, you’ve never aged well,” Frost muttered patting Rook on his shoulder.

Ciel gave his ex-teammate a cold stare. “Fair, but I have limited time. We have two situations to respond to, and I need to run a plan by you five.” He climbed onto the vehicle and the others followed with their bags.

“What’s going on here? Did the polar bears revolt or something?” Clash muttered, finding a seat near the back beside Frost.

“No, no polar bears this time, thank god,” Buck winced again. This was NOT the time to start banter. “Just a political situation getting ready to boil over. Healthcare plan changes, school cuts, university changes, student loan changes, carbon tax debates, an upperclass and government against the shrinking middle and growing lower classes. The usual for such a nice country, you know? Giving tax cuts that only really help the super rich, and cutting the resources those in working classes need and can’t afford.” He looked Rook in the eyes. “Sound familiar, French boy? Of course, that’s not taking into account the growing voices that support racism, classism, anti-climate change, sexism, and overall hate.”

That got Rook to finally sober up. Clash and Maverick frowned too.

“We don’t get called in for riot control though.” Buck pointed out. “What went wrong.”

“Not what went wrong, that’s in the past. We have tips and targets to watch. Online manifestos, private messages from those that seem a… a little too interested in war, the usual.”

“Toronto…”

“Van attack.” Buck cofirmed, and Rook’s eyes went wide.

Ciel scoffed. “That won’t hold a candle to what we think will go down.”

“W-what do you mean?” Maverick demanded.

“There’s more. There are talks of illegal assault weapons - which our PM still hasn’t banned - and more vehicle attacks since people will be on the streets and in front of parliament.” Ciel sighed and checked his watch. “We have troops posted in Toronto to watch those threats. They’ve been training for days for that. These Ottawa plans are new, and came off a tip that it involves some mask wearing freaks.”

“Merde,” Rook murmured.

Ciel scoffed. “Welcome to Canada”

.

“Now, we are going to be working with three assault teams. Chen, Lee, Robinson, and Williams, you’re with me. Team Alpha.”

The four men nodded and arranged themselves near the front.

“Maverick, Ramer, Avoledo, and Jordan, You’re with Buck, team Beta.”

“Clash, Rook, Jameson, and Sauer, with Frost as team Charlie.”

He paused until the teams regrouped. Buck nodded at the three strangers on his team. He had never met them before, so they must be new. Frost on the other hand recognized everyone on her team.

“Sauer! Long time no see!”

The large female in front of her rolled her eyes. “That’s ‘cause you didn’t keep in touch since fucking off to who knows where. Good to see you’re alive though.”

“We have three points of interest. One, here on out referred to as Romeo. Team Beta, we have a lone suspect who is expecting guests. Abduct him, and replace him with Avoledo. Avoledo will have a live audio feed so you can hear about the plans. Once you hear the signal, “once in a blue moon,” breach and clear. We’re cleared to use lethal force.”

“Point Juliet is where Team Alpha will set up. It’s a clear and sweep of a garage with links to gangs. On of the members was found just yesterday as part of a drug bust. He told us bout their unfortunate… partnership. We’re going in dark, so we’ll be requesting radio silence. If you hear from us… then that means we failed.”

Buck felt Rook stiffen beside him.

“Buck, why is he so neutral about death?”

“Hero complex. And the fact he’s never lost a fight. He always says that he’s got someone too important to come back to, to lose a fight.”

“Team Charlie, as you’ve no doubt noticed, is for defence. There’s an ally here,” Ciel pointed to a spot on the map, “that’s been called out by name by the gang before according to local police. And while I don’t trust most of those guys, that’s the best guess we’ve got as to where they’re coming from. Hold this side, and pursue if necessary. Don’t over extend though.”

Ciel nodded his head and dismissed the room. While most of the other ops went to get dinner and rest for the night, he beckoned over the Rainbow ops.

“I have a control team that’s gonna follow this op. They’ll give you directions and advice during the assignments. How are you feeling about that?”

“Are they experienced?” Buck asked.

Ciel smiled. “The best I can find. Now let’s go save our capital.”

**You’re up! As command, you – yes you, the reader – are in charge of some of Buck or Frost’s actions! Pay attention to both story and chapter details, and try to make the best choice possible. Yes, if you go down a certain path, characters will die, and no, I have no magic potion to bring them back to life. At the end of each chapter, a new question will be posed and you can vote for your fave path in the comments below! Try to convince others, if you think you saw something strange.**

**First question: Who do you think needs more help (who should this story focus more on?): Buck or Frost?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, the first choice is Buck or Frost? Whose story is more interesting to you guys? You'll get to help both out, this is just to see who gets majority of the time, and won't affect deaths or anything. Tbh I want to see what the participations gonna be like... Once again, drop a comment here (I think I allowed guests to comment) or message me on [Tumblr](https://lacklusterswirl.tumblr.com/), which I now know I have Anon on to vote either Buck or Frost.


	2. Questions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! Just so you know, before starting, first, I think I'll wait 1-2 days before starting my next chapter to get comments and stuff (remember you can "vote" in the comments on AO3, or on my blog). Second,[here is the link for the location mentioned in this story if you wanna look around](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Slater+%2F+Metcalfe/@45.4209869,-75.6951363,166m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cce05aabf4ae887:0xd7d29ddd95c6ede3!8m2!3d45.4212335!4d-75.6951966?hl=en). Otherwise, I hope you enjoy, and I know this is another filler chapter, but I thought it was necessary since I didn't want to dump a bunch of exposition on you guys. Expect action to start in the next one :)

“Alright, they aren’t here anymore, Ciel.” Frost called out, locking the door behind them. “ _They_ might get fooled by that, but we know better. If you protest the province, you go to Toronto. What’s going on in Ottawa?”

“I wasn’t lying or anything. These protesters just want to argue different things. LGBTQ2S+ members wanted a conversation therapy ban, anti-gun activists are pressuring the PM, climate change and the federal government’s plans… our first possible turban-wearing Sikh leader… people are riled up.”

Ciel took a closer look at the map. “Frost, Buck, these Masks are gonna dress up as both protestors and officials. Why? I don’t know. It’ll stir up shit, so maybe a recruiting ploy? What do you want to know?”

“Why Rainbow? You like to handle all this alone, don’t you?” Buck wondered out loud.

“It’s not like I wanted to call in extra help,” Ciel muttered. “The tip came in last night. I was out of options, and I can’t be in more than one place at once.”

“So why only call in one team? Why not ask for more?” Frost was busy checking for unwanted ears from the hall. Maverick could be stealthy if needed.

Ciel sighed, “Don’t you think I tried? Had I had complete control, I’d call in reserves from Montreal. Turns out their having issues of their own and can’t spare anyone. So, I asked upwards for help. GSG9, GIGN, the works. France is a mess and Germany can’t grant permission fast enough for them to get here fast enough. Don’t even bother with the US right now. That would cause even more drama.”

“So… you wanted us?”

“Buck, the world is in so much shit right now that no one can spare help. Those that can need to get through rules and don’t have enough time to do so.”

Frost glared at him. “The tasks you’ve planned are risky. Everyone can tell.”

“I would add support and more ops, but I don’t have the resources. Frost,” he turned to her, “I need you to be more cautious than normal.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” she muttered. “A five-man team with no immediate backup for a mission? And rough, untrustworthy details? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to kill me.”

“Hm.” He grunted, green eyes closing as he tried to relax. “If I could, I would lead all teams, but I don’t have that power. I barely got a mission control team in time for us”

“You’re going in completely dark. Aren’t you worried?”

“Yes, but better me than you, right? Iris’s clause is still in play, and I’d feel better if Jäger wasn’t the only one she liked there.”

“Right.”

“Any other questions? We need to be ready to move out tomorrow, so go get some rest.”

Buck frowned but shook his head. It was time for them to sleep.

.

When they left, Ciel called up the final piece left unaccounted for.

“Control? This is Skylar Levesque. Ready to debrief?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Call me Ciel, not sir. You’re not under my command.”

“Uh, understood… Ciel…”

“Alright, for this op, you’re gonna be following Frost’s group mainly. She’s priority one. Buck’s team is two, and I should be last on that list considering the radio silence.”

“Understood.”

“For Frost, I’ve set her team up to take a hold of that small ally that goes by the two old buildings between Slater Street and Laurier Avenue West, find it? They should be between a Second Cup and the Métis Nation of Ontario.”

“Found it on the map.”

“Well, there’s a parking lot that can reach Laurier, and the ally I discussed with Frost about between the old buildings that goes to Slater.”

“Wait, Ciel, does she know about the exit to Laurier?”

“She knows the area enough, but depending on where they end up coming from, I’ll need you to make the final call as to how they position themselves. Apparently local police have an undercover agent near that area somewhere, but once again, I don’t trust them completely.”

“And are you sure that they’ll even come from that direction? What if they come up behind the parliament building—”

“That’s what I’m counting on the river for. Either way, they’ll have other police forces there from all over. And there, well… they can’t screw up there, right? It’s just one path.”

“But you’re sure about the alley?”

“That’s the best guess I’ve got. I can’t just close off the entire neighborhood. According to _my_ boss, that would cause nationwide panic and accusations against the police for stopping protests… not like we aren’t anyways…”

“You’re very anti-cop for a military man, aren’t you?”

“Control,” he chuckled. “I had to fight the local police to even get them started on my daughter’s case when she went missing, which, considering how seriously they took another mother’s case, is what I think may be racism. Against my daughter’s background as a Chinese-Canadian.”

“Ah. Sorry for asking.”

“No worries.” He sighed, looking up at the clock. “Alright. If you have any last questions, ask me now.”

**A/N Last chance to ask the plan master himself before he goes dark! Want details on the other mission locations, timing, police records… etc.? Ask away in the comments section, and Ciel will answer them for you! After this chapter, Frost is getting deployed, and we’re joining in for the ride!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, your first tactical decision is coming up, did you catch it? If you want, you can ask around it, though there are questions Ciel just won't know the answer to... Anyways, there is no explicit choice as this is the time to get a better understanding of the situation or the area around it. Ciel will be answering questions until the next chapter gets published, so go ahead and ask away! Once again, it can be done here in the comments, or on my [tumblr](https://lacklusterswirl.tumblr.com/) by sending a message or ask!


	3. The Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, so I'm realizing that it will probably take a little longer for updates in the future, as things and deadlines are picking up irl. Still, hope you enjoy, and hopefully I won't be gone for too long :)

Frost hopped off the vehicle and took a breath of musty air. Just the same as she remembered.

“Control? This is Tina “Frost” Lin Tsang. Team Charlie has arrived and are setting up. It’s currently 08:33:05, and the skies are clear, but I see some clouds coming that may suggest rain early afternoon. Am I missing something?”

“Copy that. And Ciel has his reasons for asking for that info, you know?”

“Oh, I know. I just disagree with his controlling tendencies. He used to be much worse.”

“Ok, well, there are multiple entrances here, I’d recommend you block off the direct entrance to Slater and Laurier. The path closest to Confed. Park is long, so you can set some traps and cams.”

“Sauer is on her way. There’s a motion sensor and bulletproof cam being set up down that path. I’ll drop off a few mats there too in case.”

“Sounds good. I need to check in with Alpha and Bravo. Let me know when your set up is done so I can look in.”

“10-4”

First thing to do was to put on Rook’s plates. Then, to reinforce the garage doors so they couldn’t get flanked from inside the building.

“I totally could.” Jameson was talking up a storm with Clash. “Here, I have a few different coins. You randomly toss one, and I’ll tell you which one you threw.”

Clash shook her head, though Rook was more than happy to take the pile of coins and sort them out.

“Working hard?” Frost asked the three.

While Clash and Jameson knew she was just giving them a hard time, Rook froze before handing the coins back and preparing himself with a few grenades and moving his bags to their designated storage area, an abandoned convenience store that still had its shelves in place though the products were long gone. Rook was still a little unsure about being in there by himself, but that just made the situation better. Frost smirked and saw Sauer walking back towards them out of the corner of her eye.

“Cameras and motion detectors are in place.”

“Jameson SHOULD be nearly done setting up the signal detectors.” Frost turned to glare at the man who just smiled back in return. “Once those are up, I’ll get in touch with Control. For now, can you do a last check of the area?”

“What, you want a coffee?”

“That’d be great, thanks for offering!” Frost cheerfully responded. “I’ll pay you back. I always do.”

“Still playing rookie tricks with me I see.”

“Thanks, Sauer.”

“Frost!” Jameson was back from wherever he was off to earlier. “Signal detectors are up, and control has tapped into the feed now. They can basically listen to any conversation in the area, but—”

“Great, I’ll let them know.”

“But—”

Frost frowned at his persistence and motioned for a moment of silence.

“Control?”

“Copy. I see we have access to… hm?” There was another voice in the back. “ _Near_ _them_?”

“Frost, I swear I heard something near us!” Jameson finally exploded.

Control confirmed it. “We’ve got an unidentifiable sound coming in from Slater.”

“What?” Frost’s brain was racing to come up with a response.

“It’s… best we can say is that it’s a scraping noise.”

“A body dragging itself somewhere,” Jameson pitched in. “In your welcome mat…”

Huh. He was always known for his acute hearing abilities. It was why his favourite trick was to have someone throw different coins on the ground, and tell them which, and exactly how many of each coin got tossed. But to identify that as… as a body dragging itself?

“Control, get in contact with Sauer. She should be near Slater. Have her flank that alley from the main street. Jameson and I will approach from our side.”

“Copy.”

They both got out their suppressed pistols and carefully walked towards where Jameson claimed to have heard the sound. Once they got closer, Frost could hear the _skrt_ ing noise that occurred in short bursts.

“Denim on concrete?” Jameson offered. “Only one person though.”

A slight groan and hissing came next, and Frost gave the signal to come out from behind their cover. Sauer, listening in, flanked like asked and they walked up to the single body now lying frozen on the ground.

“State your name and purpose!” Frost barked. “You’re surrounded. Any sudden movements, and we shoot.”

There was pure steel in her veins as the man on the ground managed to get himself on his elbows and look up at them.

“My name is Ryan Crowden. I’m an undercover cop. My leg… it got caught on this bear trap… I need help, please…”

Frost motioned for Sauer to cuff him and for Jameson to quickly put something together to move the man to their hold.

“Control, did Ciel say anything about the cop?”

“Yes. He said there was an undercover cop from one of the gangs, but… that information wasn’t given to him. I can pressure them to give up the name now, but… that’ll take some time.”

“Copy, get on that,” she said. Sauer and Jameson were already hoisting him up and walking back to their hold. Frost followed them back and watched with approval as Clash tied up the intruder before freeing their leg.

“Shit, that hurt,” the man was whining. “You can’t do this to me! I’m one of—”

“Riddle me this,” Frost snarled, getting everyone’s attention. She quickly signaled for Sauer and Jameson to seal off two of the major entryways. Control could easily have eyes and ears on the third. “How does a man escape a terrorist organization, crawl through the streets of a city during rush hour unnoticed, and somehow learn about a secret op in a back alley?”

“I-I…” They were trembling so hard that Frost couldn’t make out the next words.

Frost drew her handgun again and pushed the barrel against his forehead. “I asked for an answer.”

“I was on my way out of the gang. My extract just started when I got jumped.”

“Impossible,” Frost cut-in. “I would’ve heard about it had it happened anywhere near Ottawa.”

“Well…” he paused. “Look, you can’t say this to anyone else but…”

“But?” Rook adjusted his equipment, showing off the SMG against his chest.

Ryan took a look at the angry op and swallowed hard. “The extract was unofficial… off the books… I… I was at a friend’s house. They left the gang the moment they started talks with the White Masks, and offered me a safehouse.”

“Where’s the safehouse?”

“It’s on Gladstone. Near Centretown West—”

“If you were really that far, what made you think you should come here?” Frost interjected straight away. She pushed a little harder with her gun. “Where were you?”

“I was on my way there! I had a backpack and was at a bus stop when these guys pulled up and recognized me. Then they saw the bag and kinda… figured out my plan. I swear I’m not one of them.”

“What was in the bag?” Clash asked.

“Just fifty bucks and change of clothes. It was supposed to be temporary while I waited on my unit to clean stuff up.” Frost nodded at Clash to look through the bag.

“And why didn’t they kill you?”

“Because they didn’t realize I was a cop. They just thought I was deserting. That was it.”

“Convenient, huh?” Rook looked at Frost, who was still thinking hard about the story.

“Bag’s clear. Just what he said,” Clash murmured, taking out a nice pair of pants and a shirt Frost only wished she could buy. Leave it to criminals to get more money than actual law enforcement.

“What are they planning then?”

He looked around nervously, causing her to motion for Rook to take higher ground and scan for threats. “If my old crew goes back to the terrorists and tell them about me… they’re going to come for me, and try to assassinate me before I say anything about their plans. But they know something weird is going to be happening at one of their meeting points also near Centretown.”

Frost backed off. Buck… the only known cell in that area was the one he was going after… She motioned for Clash to watch him as she pulled away to talk with Control.

“You got all that?” she asked. “Should we…”

“Buck’s team is just about to go in. I’ll warn them about it, but… Do you trust him?”

“I… I—”

A gunshot went off and Clash was on comms, relaying information.

“Sniper on the roof. Rook is already on his way looking for them, I’ve managed to close all windows and I have my shield up and we’re waiting in our hold.”

“I’m going to go join Rook, everyone, hold your positions.”

Frost sprinted up the stairs to hear a few grunts before a shadowy figure ran up the stars while a frustrated Rook came tumbling down.

“I’m following the target.” She saw Rook get up and follow once he got his bearings.

Up and up they went until they reached the roof again. “Hands up and on your head. Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.”

White Masks were known to be fanatical, willing to even sacrifice their life for… well… no one really knew. It really shouldn’t have been such a surprise, but Frost still flinched as Rook’s bullets whizzed by and landed right between the sniper’s eyes as the terrorist turned with a pistol withdrawn.

“Tango down,” Rook announced.

Frost nodded her thanks.

As she and Rook searched the body, only finding a couple coins, a few random bullets, and a clear liquid that was already dripping from _somewhere_ in the bag, though no container to hold it.

“Is this sugar water?” Rook’s lip curled in disgust as he pulled his hand out of the man’s pocket. “It’s smells kinda sweet, no? But not sticky…”

“Try not to breathe it in,” Frost told him. “Could be anything.”

As she pushed her hand into his jean pockets, she found a loose piece of paper. “ _‘Caesar salad’…_ what is this, Control?”

“Send a picture”

_Caesar Salad._

_YMJ XJWZR NX NS YMJ GZQQJY._

_TSJ YT IJQNAJW, TSJ YT PNQQ._

_BJ BNQQ RFPJ_ RYAN _UFD._

_XMJ BNQQ RFPJYMJ INXYWFHYNTS._

_XMJ BNQQ YFPJ TZY YMJ TYMJW._

_QNKJ KTW HFZXJ._

_TWIJWX GD OZQNZX._

Rook waved a few wet pieces of paper in front of Frost. “I have something else here. Probably the key to solve the code, but whatever liquid was in his pocket has completely ruined and destroyed the page.”

“The bullets probably ripped the wet paper apart,” Frost murmured, seeing bits of the alphabet on the pieces of paper.

“Check-in, team Charlie.” Control suddenly requested. “We’re getting weird signals from someone’s phone.”

“This is Jameson. Laurier clear.”

“Sauer. Slater clear. Also, does this mean you’re gonna assign us to body duty?”

“Let me guess,” Frost said, drily. “Ciel’s orders?”

“You remember him after all.” Control even dared chuckle at her expense. “He requested we do this since the teams are too small.”

“Rook, and I’m uh… checking in.”

“Frost. Checking in. I’m fine.”

A silence while they all waited for the fifth.

“Clash?”

No answer. Frost sprinted down the stairs and into their hold with her gun raised. Rook went a different direction, and she had no choice but to call the other two in. “Sauer, Jameson, leave flank watch to Control. We have an unknown situation here.”

“Buck’s starting soon,” Control reminded Frost. Right. Control wouldn’t only be watching over them. Buck would need that warning, and…

“Doesn’t matter. I’m priority,” she hissed through gritted teeth. Her heart sank, but her choices were limited.

“Understood.”

Rook went to the side closest to the street while she moved to the back and came face-to-face with Ryan, who was now holding Clash’s gun… There was no mistaking the little bunny charm she liked to hang on that gun.

“Whoa,” he gave a nervous chuckle. “I was just gonna come find you.” He dipped the barrel so it was pointed at the ground.

“The boarded-up section to Slater from the store has been broken down, Frost,” Sauer’s report came. She was behind the man, side arm drawn. “Rook is reinforcing it now, but it’s too late. Whoever came in is already back out.”

“Whoever came in threw a towel on my head. I only heard some struggling, but it ended when you guys did the check in. That guy must have run off then.” Ryan explained.

Frost took in the surroundings to try and collect her thoughts on what to do next. There were a lot of glass shards on the ground, which was new. They would make stealth a lot harder if it came to it here. “Where’s Clash?”

“With me,” Rook answered. “Jameson is coming to join you now, but Clash is breathing. Knocked out, but ok. And… Frost, that same liquid from the rooftop is around her face, but it’s drying too quickly to be sure. It was a White Mask that did this to her for sure though. The mask is still here.”

There was something she was missing. “Put down the gun and we can talk.”

“Ok… as long as you lower yours too.”

She did as asked and watched him as he pushed the gun away with his foot. “How did you get out of your bonds?”

“Glass shards. I started sawing from the moment they broke down the window.”

Control spoke up, “Frost, Avoledo is set to go in one minute.”

She played with the inside of her cheek while she thought about her options. “You can go help them for the start, but Before you go though… Got any updates on our stranger?”

**Options: “He’s for real. I think he’s safe.” Or “I don’t trust him.”**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are. The first "real" choice of the story. Let me know what you would tell Frost at the moment. If you want, you can add a few words either to reason, or to remind her of something you deem important before we switch over to the beginning of Buck's mission! Once again, you can put opinion in the comments below, or to me on [tumblr](https://lacklusterswirl.tumblr.com)!


	4. Undercover and Out of Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, work and stuff is still pretty busy, but I'm writing, I promise! And uh... hey, someone got the code mostly! The thing is that it came in a little late, as I was nearly done the chapter at that point, so unfortunately, it didn't affect the story. It'll definitely help you out in future choices, so good job, CrypticWonder :)
> 
> Anyways, follow along with Buck to get a feel for how he's doing. As always, hope you enjoy :)

“I don’t trust him. Maybe search him again if his story’s right about the glass.”

“The code?” Frost asked, nodding at Jameson to pat down the stranger.

“Nothing yet.”

Hm. Frost’s mouth twitched as Jameson pulled out a knife to show her. He immediately pulled a strand of rope fibre from the edge, and raised an eyebrow. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Control backing out to oversee Bravo. Call in if you need help, we’ll see the alert.”

“Copy.”

.

“This is Sébastien “Buck” Côté. The time now is 09:46, and team Bravo is checking in. Avoledo is in position, and the wire is working.

“We have a tip from a source that the White Masks expect something to go wrong. Be on alert, but the tip came from an unreliable source.”

“Understood. This Dreas person is no where to be found. Avocado, you copy?” Buck got a few snickers with that.

“Yeah, just don’t turn me into swiss cheese here.”

“Do we need to change up the plan?” Maverick asked. “Even if we don’t trust him… Our main POI is msising.”

“Giving up higher ground might be an issue, plus, that’ll mean no cover for us,” Buck responded. If there was nothing certain, he’d rather not go against Ciel’s orders.

“Buck, you have control of the next building over, right?” Control asked. “We have a white van approaching now. Can you get the plate?”

The two men looked at the quiet street as the van pulled up. There was an advertisement for a rental garage on the side, and if Buck squinted, he could make out a few letters, though the reflection of the sun was a little much.

Maverick nodded at Buck from his position in the opposite corner. “Juliet, Lima, Uniform, Sierra, one, three five. Once again, Juliet, Lima, Uniform, Sierra, one three five.”

“Plates trace back to the garage Ciel is infiltrating.” Control relayed the info back.

“Copy. Contact. Here they come.”

With baited breath, they watched as Avoledo opened the door and nodded at them.

“What can you tell me about Avoledo?” Maverick asked control. They greeted each other like old friends, and Buck vaguely wondered if he never met the man due to this talent of his.

There was a moment of silence before Control got back. “Lukas Avoledo is from Kitchener, Ontario, and he’s been a part of JTF2 for two years now. The first year was as a class B specialist, and the second was as an undercover agent in the White Mask organization. He never underwent an extract, just told them that he had to lay low while a bust went down at one of their main drug factories. Ciel was the only one who has had any contact with him at all since then, recently calling him into this mission to break a year of radio silence.”

Maverick fell silent. And Buck knew why.

“Long time, eh?” Avoledo greeted them. “Wish you could’ve given me more warning.”

“Where’s Dreas?” One voice demanded.

“I was going to ask you that. He wouldn’t open his door so I broke through the back.”

There was some humming and hawing. “We’ll need to get him out then. How did you say you went dark again, Pit?”

“Cut everything and went to live with an old ex for a week before travelling to China. Didn’t you hear that I got in contact with a cell there? They helped me with the Visa shit.”

“We did. Boss told us to expect you here today.”

“Kandahar is arriving too,” the first voice spoke.

“Who’s Kandahar?” Avoledo asked, sounding just a little more stressed than just before.

Maverick looked away to raise to talk to Control. “Kandahar is the leader of a cell in Afghanistan. Named for the city he was initiated in.”

“What about him?” Control responded. There was someone murmuring in the back, and someone else added, “We don’t have that info. Send a request, and say it’s backed by Ciel.”

Maverick was shaking his head as he argued in hushed tones. “Look, I hate to say it, but we may need to cut this short. Avoledo is in trouble if Kandahar is involved. That man trusts no one, and if Avoledo has been gone for a year…”

“Can’t do. Extraction will cause too much—”

“Control,” Maverick was pleading. “I was under Kandahar’s eye while I was in Afghanistan. At least until he got taken by some other organization that turned out to be the _White Masks._ He’ll hurt Avoledo.”

“And Ciel has pre-overruled anything to do with this part. Avoledo stays. We can only clear him if there’s reason.”

“Avoledo was Ciel’s personal protégé.” Buck rolled his eyes. “And Ciel very rarely makes calls like that, so he must have a reason. We need to move down though. Just in case.”

“So, you called me here to interrogate me?” the outraged cry made Buck snap his attention to the audio as they ran down the stairs and out the side door.

“Look, Pit, we didn’t think he needed to, but then he said that that was what he was doing. We trust you, man… it’s just that… new bosses, right?”

Avoledo scoffed. “And what happened to Sterling?”

“Got killed by some international org. We don’t quite know them, but they’re deadly.”

“Hmph. Alright. Well, when is Kandahar getting here? I’ve been here for a while now.”

“I’m right here… Pit.”

“Oh… uh… hello.”

“I’ve lost visual, they’re moving him to a no-zone.” Jordan’s voice cackled through the radio.

“Same here,” Ramer announced. “This isn’t good…”

“Wait for the signal,” Buck muttered.

As they moved to the shadowy areas of the gardens to look for their man on the inside, Buck couldn’t help but keep glancing at his watch.

“Argh!”

Maverick shot Buck a look but he still held still. Avoledo must’ve had something special about him if he could survive being Ciel’s trainee. And more if he could survive a year away from everyone, trusting completely in just one person.

“That’s just so I can see you. When you’re all dressed up in the uniform like the rest of them today, this will be how I tell you apart from the other trainees.”

“Wait, but… sir, I’ve already passed training. Why am I—ah!”

There was another slapping sound and a voice got surprisingly close to his wire. “Perhaps under… what’s his name… Sterling. I only want the best though. If you prove you’re still worth what they thought you were, then you’ll be free to go about as usual. Now. Put. On. The. Suit.”

“Guess you don’t strip all that often, huh?” That was a friendly voice. Not Kandahar.

“Nah, not even once in a while anymore.”

There was a cackling, then silence.

Buck tightened his grip on his gun. “Control, what’s going on? What’s your read?”

“Wire’s been disconnected.”

“Are we clear to breach?” Maverick asked. Buck made a mental note to talk to the man after the misison about insubordination, but now was not the time, and neither of them were in the proper mental state.

There was a tapping noise. “No visual. You’re not clear to breach, but we… we can override Ciel’s orders. It’s just… if we break him out in this way, he’ll never be able to work undercover again. He knows what he’s doing, and he hasn’t given the signal yet.”

Maverick looked over at Buck. Maverick was insisting that the new man was bad news, but Ciel, who had been over seeing Avoledo’s mission, clearly had some reason to believe that his little apprentice was fine…

“Control we’re ready for a breach,” Buck announced as he saw Ramer and Jordon creep up to their position. He and Maverick made their way up to the cars on the street for cover. “Call’s yours.”

**Buck has left it up to you! Team Bravo is ready to breach, but you need to be able to clear it! Remember, you are technically higher up the command than Ciel since he’s gone dark with his team, so your choice right now is to either give the order to breach, or keep waiting for Avoledo to signal for rescue.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright... Here it is. You have the power to go with Maverick's instincts and breach and try to extract Avoledo, but keep in mind that there was an agreed upon signal that was never said... what could that mean??
> 
> Comment below what you think Team Bravo should do, or find me on [tumblr](https://lacklusterswirl.tumblr.com/)


	5. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy, so I died a painful death at work since things are getting rearranged after a couple new hires. That, and the fact I got three new games recently have been eating me alive, so uh... sorry? Hopefully this satisfies you guys, and I promise I'll keep working on this :)
> 
> Also, if you can't tell after this chapter, things are gonna pick up a little in terms of pacing. I estimate no more than 15 chapters left, as long as this goes the way I think it will. Hope that helps put your mind at ease? maybe?

“Wait for his signal.”

Maverick’s eyes narrowed, but Buck had to turn his attention to the house.

One minute passed. Then two. Then Maverick started shaking his head. “This is wrong. The windows are open. We should be able to hear something – anything.”

Buck frowned. He was right, but the order was given, so if they couldn’t…

A car screeched down the street, and the crack of gunfire sounded down the quiet street. Buck and Maverick dived behind the leftover vehicle, but neither could return fire.

“Fuck,” Buck muttered, signalling for Ramer and Jordan to enter the house. He and Maverick busted open the van door to uncover… nothing… There was nothing. No papers, no radios, no phones, not even a stupid footprint.

“Buck!” Ramer was on comms now. “House is clear. There’s nothing here anymore. Jordan has set up a flank watch, you can come in and help search now.”

There had to be _something_. Something to let him know that he made the right call – that he put his trust in the right people…

That he didn’t send someone to die.

“Control, we need you to run a plate.” Buck looked at Maverick.

“Copy, ready.”

“X-ray, foxtrot, zulu, juliet, whiskey.”

“No numbers,” Maverick added, after bringing forward a USB key. “This was on the kitchen table.”

“Extract is coming by. We can give it then,” Buck murmured. “Let’s get packed.”

.

“Frost, we have an update.”

“Copy. Standing-by”

With a quick signal, Rook rotated so he was supervising Ryan and the entrance.

“Buck is extracting to base with a USB. It’s being checked now, but from what I understand, it might take an hour or so, more since they need to travel here.” Frost nodded along. That would be a great break-through… But… “But we have a situation. Avoledo is now missing and undercover. We don’t know what his situation is, or if he’s even in danger, but keep an eye open. Try talking to the other undercover agent. See if you can get any clues.”

“Copy.” Frost walked back in and watched as Rook hurriedly stand up as if he wasn’t just talking to the man on the bench.

“Sorry, I was uh…” Maybe he was finally learning how to tell if someone was actually angry or not. “I’ll go back to my post. I’ll tell people you’re busy.”

Frost smiled as Rook took up his position outside the emptied shop, and check-up on Clash. That smile didn’t last when she turned back to look at Ryan. “I need answers. If you were an undercover cop, why can’t we find your record?”

“Probably protected – look – that was never my issue to worry about. I just… What do you want to know? I can tell you?”

Frost sniffed, immediately regretting it as dust flew up her nose. “How can you tell me anything you haven’t already told Sauer?”

“She wasn’t asking the right questions, and when I tried to speak, she told me to shut up, I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

Mhmm… Sure… “Look, let’s start now. How long were you undercover for?”

“I was a low-level drug dealer for six-months, and then I went through a bunch of promotions, worked my way up to be the personal detail for one of the gang bosses after a year. Then, when they teamed up with the terrorists, it was too late. My extraction couldn’t happen in time, and the police force just didn’t have the man power to do anything. Something about another conflicting mission from the JTF 2.”

“What do you know about today other than that assassination attempt?”

“They’re training bombers. That’s what today’s for. They’re gonna have a couple run into the crowds, but that’s all I know. I wasn’t given a time or location, they just told me to be ready.”

“You know,” Frost dragged an empty box to the spot right in front of his bench, “For someone who was apparently on the personal detail, I would’ve thought that you would know more.”

“I get that, I do. But these protests were a sudden thing. In such a short time, it seemed like everyone got angry at the same time. It’s not like they planned the protests.”

Frost shook her head. That’s a fair point, yes, but it does shit to help them out now. “Do you know anything that will help us here? Anything about their plans or patterns, or even a rough time?”

“They were waiting on a new contact. A guy I never heard about before. They said that he’s been here before – a hero. They wouldn’t even let me know the name!”

“So say they’ve already collected the guy. What would be next?”

“Make and smuggle Molotovs. Something about a training course. Mostly low-leveled grunts. They have a hideout near here, you know? There’s a sewer here that leads straight to a secret pre-world war cavern under the park. The police keep track of it because it’s a popular drug bust place. It’s why I was sent there.”

Frost paused, taking a deep breath. That was about a five-minute walk away, not the worst, but if Clash was still getting over whatever knocked her out, they’d be low on manpower here, should they need it. She craned her neck to look outside the shop. The manhole was on the ground yes, and while it would take some effort to open, it would be time wasted, and too many resources were required.

“Intruder!” Frost looked up to see Jameson get tackled to the ground. Rook, the one who shouted, immediately fired a few rounds into the stranger’s chest.

Frost ran out to help Jameson up while Sauer momentarily left Clash to check in on them. “What? Happened?”

“Secure the perimeter,” Frost barked at both Rook and Sauer. “Sauer to Laurier, and Rook to Slater.”

The two walked off, exchanging a few last whispers, but Frost couldn’t afford to pay attention. “Jameson?”

“I…” he gave his head a shake. “I’m good. Just caught me off guard. Serves me right for not checking my back when I was going to relieve Rook at the shop. Give me a minute, and I’ll be ready again.”

Frost, with Jameson looking from where he sat, patted down the body. As her hands dipped into his pocket, she brushed against cool metal. With a triumphant gaze, she pulled out a fancy looking key. In the other pocket, she found another crumpled note. She quickly snapped a photo and sent it off to control.

“It’s a different cipher this time…” Control was sounding frustrated. Frost could relate.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6  
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I | R | D | S | A | T  
T | E | C | T | M | H  
N | A | A | Y | Y | W  
O | A | Y | U | N | C  
O | H | F | R | E | S  
I | D | W | L | O | L  
H | E | T | E | S | R  
R | N | T | Y | I | A  
O | S | S | U |   | R  
  
_Time to use our “Rook.” Remember, life for cause. - Caesar_

“Control? Jameson just got jumped. No serious injuries, but the guy had a key on him and another note. Did you crack the last one?”

“Yes, and it’s being sent to your phone now.”

“That’s…” Frost raised her eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“Unknown.”

“Ok, keep this one between us, and I need you to…” _Rook_. There should be now way… he was part of Rainbow, not some liability. “Decode it as soon as possible, I need to know who I can trust. And if Buck’s done with his mission already, can you send reinforcements?”

“Copy, I’ll send them over now.”

“Control, Frost, the streets are secure, and I’m heading back now,” Sauer spoke, breaking Frost from the glare directed at her phone. “Rook should be about done too.”

“Yep, coming back now.”

“Ok,” Frost sighed, as she watched the sun climb higher from her right. Sauer’s figure was getting closer and closer until they were facing each other. “Control—”

There was a squealing of tires as a van sped past the street. Frost nodded at Rook to check up on their prisoner, and jogged to the street to see the checkered van turn a corner.

“Frost!” the panicked voice shouted over coms. “Ryan’s gone!”

This was getting to be too much. She had never been lead on a mission and have it go this… _wrong._ “Well what do you want me to do?” she snapped, marching back to Rook. “Check the surroundings. Didn’t I send you to secure Slater? That van must be the one we’re looking for then.”

“Frost,” the warning voice came to her ear, and her ear alone. “Deep breaths. That was Slater, so North of you. We saw it go East, probably near Confeder— yep, it’s pulling up to the park now, caught on traffic cams.”

“I’m going to pursue them,” she muttered. “When Buck gets here, put him in temporary command until I get back. In the meantime, have everything go through Jameson. It’ll have him out for a bit. So he can rest.”

“Where are you going?”

“Into the sewers,” her fist tensed, and she was reminded of the key in her hand. She quickly stuffed it into her pocket. “There might be a secret cavern under the park. Our man Ryan is there, and that might be a good place for where Avoledo could be held.”

“You sure you wanna test your source? If you do, you should bring one of them as backup. It’ll leave enough people back here to defend if necessary, and you won’t be completely alone in case something happens. As for the note, I’ll get a team on the code again.”

Frost paused. It would be safer to stay here. Plus, it was just Ryan. If he was truly the traitor, this could be a trap. Sauer was talking with Jameson. With her shotgun and professional, business-like attitude, plus their shared history, it would be easy to take her. Rook would also be possible, and since he was also Rainbow, they’ve trained together multiple times together in more recent memory. “Well, who would you suggest?”

**Here we go, Frost is going out on a solo recon mission… maybe! You can either order her to stay put at her station, or recommend either Rook or Sauer go with her!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a quick side note, that last line under the code is not the translated code, but because it's a little weirder of a code (and how my work is picking up rn) I'm gonna give more time to solve the cipher this time round before starting the next chapter.
> 
> As always, comment below what you think Frost should do, or find me on [tumblr](https://lacklusterswirl.tumblr.com/)


	6. Down the Hole

Frost dropped down the hole and heard Rook drop behind her.

“Control, the time is now 10:59:12, Rook and I have split up, now known as Charlie one. We are in the underground tunnels, heading for Confed Park. Updates will come as needed. Requesting eyes on that van, and a separate channel.”

With a quick finger signal, they split up as they approached the final tunnel, each taking a side. Frost peeked down the tunnel and saw that the door was barricaded. It was a thin roll though. Like the training ones they used.

“Tunnel’s barricaded. Aim down the tunnel. I’m gonna break it down.”

Rook quickly took a bit of cover behind the wall and nodded at Frost, who smacked the butt of her gun into the barricade, breaking off a sizable chunk. There was nothing, though she swore she head some shuffling. She used her knife to stab the left side, of the previous hole, making it bigger and easier for Rook to look into.

“Here we go,” she muttered, then broke one last chunk, and leaned into the corner as Rook started firing. There were a few screams and finally, he stopped, ducking to the side to reload.

“One more to your hard right. Just beside the door frame.”

“I’m going in.”

“Following.”

She took a step in, immediately holding onto the barrel of the enemy’s gun and pointed it to the side before kicking the man in the stomach and ripping the gun away from his hands. Using his own gun, she shot him down and immediately waited for Rook to enter before proceeding.

“This is control, we’ve pulled up old blueprints. This seems like a single hall down to a conference room. There are a few connecting halls on the sides, but they’re thin and pretty tangled.”

Frost nodded, tossing the gun to the side. “Copy, we’re moving down. Let us know if we should go down any paths in particular.”

“Understood. On stand-by.”

“Let’s keep moving forward.” She turned to see Rook staring at some papers on the desk. “What’s wrong?”

“There are so many codes here, either signed by someone called GridGraff, or Caesar.”

“What kinds of codes?”

“The ones by Caesar are in the one we found on the roof in that guy’s pocket, but Gridgraff’s are all in a square shape. I’ve never seen it before…”

“Alright, well take them with you. Stuff them in that pocket of yours, and let’s get going.”

Their quiet footsteps were deemed useless by the puddles they were stepping in, but there was no other way. There were surprisingly few people patrolling, and the ones who were could easily be avoided by ducking into one of the side tunnels. Finally, they reached a lower room.

“This is the final one. If Ryan’s not here, then we need a new plan.”

“Frost!” Rook’s urgent whisper drew her attention to him waving at a small side hall. “I hear a bomber.”

His breathy whisper didn’t do well enough to hide his fear. She could hear it too now. Step… by step… There was some sloshing water that gave it away, and the heavy breathing echoed down the hall.

But Frost couldn’t help but feel the same dread. The steady breathing drew closer before stopping just around the corner. Her hand slipped close to where she kept her knife, ready for their last chance. Rook’s shoulder against hers did not seem reassuring at all either, but it did offer help. Just as she lurched forward to attack the bomber, hoping to kill him before he pressed the switch, the bomber spun around the corner to pin both of them to the wall, one hand around her through, and the other around Rook’s. The strength behind it was impossible to fight against, but she wasn’t dead yet. One quick glance at Rook showed her that they in the same situation, with the GIGN operator barely able to keep his balance as they were being dragged to god knows where. Just as she felt like she was going to pass out, the bomber let go, tossing them on the ground behind them all.

Rook was the first to react, lunging at the bomber with knife in his hand. Frost drew her handgun, but couldn’t get a clear shot in. A few good kicks later, and the bomber was on his feet again.

“Hold it, I’m on your side,” the man said, now noticing Frost’s gun. “It’s me, Avoledo… I’m injured, and I need an extract. Just… give me a moment.” He peeked out the door. When he saw they weren’t being followed, he looked back at the two and took off his mask.

Frost holstered the gun and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

“They have cams around here. You set off three motion detectors, didn’t you see?” Rook shook his head.

“That was what Sauer and Jameson were for though.” Avoledo muttered. “But these guys have rebranded or something. They changed up the organizational structure. I can’t just return like I used to be able to do.” He had to sit while taking off the rest of the suit. “The fucker did something to my knee and told me to dress up. I hadn’t had to wear that suit since selection.”

Frost gave him a break while he tossed the suit outside and detonated the explosives.

“Why didn’t you call for extract?”

“Ciel wanted me to stay in for as long as I could… I know I could’ve continued, even with the injured knee, but I didn’t know how to keep you guys from being found.”

“Thanks,” she said. The younger man looked up at the two of them and smiled. “Sorry we didn’t notice them.”

“No worries. Let’s just focus on getting you two out. Ciel would kill me himself if I couldn’t do that at least, now that I’ve left.”

The walk back was painful. Avoledo was limping, which was getting worse and worse, and Frost was starting to feel the exhaustion in her body from such a long day already. But Rook had one of the best aims she had ever seen, and they would need to get out of here alive first before accepting any sort of help whatsoever.

“This is control, Buck has – _CZRCH._ ”

“Control?” Frost asked. All she got back was static. “Control, what's going on?”

“Sounds like Mute’s jammers,” Rook commented.

Avoledo froze. “They fucking sent… shit, we need to get back to your base. Now.”

He limped as fast as he could, and Frost and Rook had to follow. They took the ladder back up, and game face to face with Jameson’s gun pointed at them. When he recognized the sweaty face staring back, he quickly lowered it and bent down.

“Shit, you startled me,” he muttered, helping them up. “What’s wrong? You look scared…”

“When you hear that jammer sound, that’s what we’ve started to call Hunters. When they’re nearby, they can get a location on any communication devices, even record voices to trick you. Ciel’s started a completely different unit _just_ to deal with them.”

“Control, Charlie one has rejoined with Charlie and Bravo now. This is Frost, and I’m resuming control of this area.”

“Understood. Good to see you alive.”

Frost hummed in agreement and looked back down the hole. “Let’s post a permanent guard. Buck’s team is here, yes? Have two of them posted here.”

“Sure thing. Ramer and Maverick can stay here,” Buck nodded at them, and then giving both Avoledo and Frost a wide smile. “Good to see everyone’s made it so far!”

“Day’s not over yet,” Frost reminded him, but returned the hug nevertheless. “But I’m already exhausted.”

“Ciel’s supposed to come up soon from their mission. We have a couple more codes though, and we’re having troubles.”

“Get Avoledo some help first,” Frost looked at the limping member, greeting Sauer and Jameson. “We can talk once we’ve established a _proper_ perimeter.”

“You got it,” Buck chuckled, waving over a few more people. “Sauer, you get Avoledo to a safe point and see what you can do.”

Frost walked into their temporary meeting room and looked over the map once again. A couple blocks away, and really, even on the same street, she could start to hear some yelling.

“Cuts hurt kids!”

“Resist Ford!”

So they’ve started. Rook was beside her, but a little distracted with the chants going on. He didn’t ask about them though.

Buck walked back in and presented the new codes.

_O znotq eua gxk xomnz. Ck ju ngbk g surk haz cnkznkx oz oy gburkju ux nkx oy ngxj zu yge. Huzn ngbk hkkt ruegr ot znk vgyz._ Julius Caesar

“This one was found in the trash and ripped up but,” he traced the tape and gave Frost a sly smile, “I always carry a little bit of pure magic with me.”

Frost rolled her eyes, but snapped a pic to Control.

“Got the first one. We’ve seen this before, so we’ll have a response in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks.”

Buck clicked his teeth at the other. “That might be a simple shift, but we have trouble again. I have no clue how to even start with this code.”

RE: PROBLEM with mole.

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Frost saw the grid and groaned in her mind. “That’s the one we still don’t have. The person who wrote it was…”

“GridGraff.” Rook chimed in, looking at the codes. “Well, just looking at the numbers, they gotta go in SOME order, right?”

The number of columns matched with the number of letters in Problem, but that was it. She couldn’t think of anything else.

“Those numbers aren’t in order,” Buck hummed. “Let’s get a picture sent in to control.”

“This is control, and we read you. We’ll try our best, but you have two operators who’ve switched channels without permission.”

“Who?” Frost asked. Jameson’s devices should be able to decipher…

“Unknown… can you do a head count? We have radio contact with Ciel so we’ll be silent for a minute.”

“Go with him,” Frost muttered. Once she broke off contact, she gave Rook a suspicious look. “Show me what channel you’re on.”

Rook turned his comms device so she could see. 4. That’s what they were all on right now. Buck showed his as well.

“Go around and find two people who have switched channels. It could be by accident, but we need confirmation of who they are.”

“Frost!” Control was back, and with that kind of urgency, she felt her blood freeze. “Patching you in with Ciel now.”

“Frost, this is Ciel Levesque. We ran into a group of Hunters. We have a man down, but we’re in a safe space right now. They managed to record some of our comms though, so whatever you do—”

“Ciel’s coming up the hatch!” Jameson’s shout drew her attention just as the comms got cut. She vaguely heard Control mutter something about reconnecting Ciel, but Frost shook her head. She caught sight of the number 4 being displayed, so he was not the switchee. Neither was Maverick as she saw when she neared the locked down hole. She gripped her gun tightly. If Hunters could replicate voices, either Ciel was dead, he got hacked and he was the one climbing up, or he was alive and the warning was true.

With a deep breath, she knelt next to the manhole, anticipating the knocks. _Ciel… Where are you?_

“Let us up! We’re getting chased!”

Damn, she was hoping it’d sound distorted or something so she could tell from just the voice, but that… that was his voice exactly! “To be or not to be!” She called out, hoping this was the right call. Her fists were trembling, and she felt herself get colder, despite the sun high above them.

“That is the question?”

She stood and readied her gun. She had her answer. Now, hopefully it was right…

“Open up the hatch.”

The smallest crack gave her an opportunity to fire right into the hole, the loud noises echoing and drawing some fast footsteps. Only when the cover was completely off did she look down and see the bodies… No Canadian uniforms… Good.

“How did you know?” Maverick grunted out when the cover was back in place now. “That was the answer you wanted, wasn’t it?”

“It was an informal question,” she admitted. “No matter the situation, Ciel always gets angry when anyone brings up Hamlet. He hates the play, so he’ll always get pissed. That guy was too nice. It’s just something he and I talked about a long time ago. How to tell if the other was themselves or an evil clone…” she trailed off.

“Control again, Ciel is back online, with a stronger connection.”

“God, for fucks… Frost, we barely made it out, but we just got done interrogating someone. We have a mole in our midst… well… you have a mole with you, or with Buck’s team. I’m gonna try to head over as soon as I can, but I have to stay until I get that medical evac. Expect me in an hour with whoever is left.”

“Understood. I have a situation here. Have control update you on your way here.” 

Rook frantically approached. In a quiet whisper, he murmured, “I think there’s something going on between Sauer and Avoledo. They’re speaking with comms on, but I can’t hear them. I didn’t get a good look, I—”

Frost ran off in the direction Rook came from and heard some muffled grunting. It was a side room from one of the buildings, and they had been storing ammo and gadgets in there. She kicked down the door to see Avoledo kicking up at Sauer, who was on her feet and had her hands around his throat.

“Hands up!” Frost yelled. Rook also drew his handgun and they aimed at separate people. Frost looked Sauer in the eye, and Rook was observing Avoledo.

“Avoledo’s a mole,” Sauer muttered. “He’s doubled crossed us.”

“Bullshit, you fucking tried to kill me just now. _You’re_ the goddamn mole.” He staggered to the side and had to lean against a bookshelf to steady himself on his weak knee.

Rook and Frost exchanged quick glances. “Control?” Frost asked. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but what should we do?”

“Separate them.” The response was immediate. “Then… I don’t know. Maybe interrogate them?”

“Fair,” Frost muttered. “Buck!” she called in a louder voice.

“I’m here,” he came in, then saw what was happening. He didn’t even give Frost a look before handcuffing the two JTF 2 ops to opposite sides of the room. “Do you want a guard here too?”

Frost nodded. “We need a game plan. Protests are starting, and it sounds like they really are targeting the people today with bombers. But we need to figure out who's been leaking info before we get shot ourselves.”

“Control?”

**Both Avoledo and Sauer are now in custody and suspected of treason. If they had more time, they could interrogate both before continuing. However, with the protesters starting to gather, time is starting to run out before the big ‘finale’. Who do you think has more information? Or who do you think is the mole?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, even more codes, huh?
> 
> But as always, let me know, and we'll get on with the story! Hopefully I left enough hints about how to solve the codes, but I think there are enough hints as to who the mole is even without knowing the codes.
> 
> We're nearing the end, so thanks for sticking with me :)


End file.
